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The Problem: Although many economic indicators claim the economy is growing and improving, by all accounts this recovery is completely jobless. Despite some job growth in 2003, December 2003 job levels for New York are still well below levels at the time the recession officially ended. Middle and low income New Yorkers have been hit hard by job losses in recent years; the jobless economic recovery hasn’t improved their situations.

For most of the last decade NY lagged behind the nation in job growth. From 1993-2001, New York jobs grew at an average annual rate of 1.5%, compared to a national average of 2.4. In addition, many upstate areas and New York City had steep job losses from the first half of 2001 to the first half of 2003.

Thousands of individuals have entered the low-wage, low-skill job market under welfare reform. Almost all welfare leavers work at or below poverty wages (except those who obtained a college education) Studies have shown little investment in improving the job skills or education of welfare participants even after they find work.

Two major labor market challenges facing hard-to-employ welfare recipients warrant special attention:

• Low levels of work readiness among hard-to-employ recipients. The individuals who remain on welfare in New York have significantly greater barriers to employment, including little or no prior work experience. They need an opportunity to develop employable skills before moving into unsubsidized jobs.
• Inner cities and rural areas with high rates of joblessness. Even in regions that are experiencing strong economic growth, inner cities and remote rural areas often have an inadequate supply of jobs. Transportation and family relocation strategies may succeed in expanding job options for some individuals but they do not solve the underlying problem of persistent job shortages in depressed areas.

New York should commit to a rigorous job creation program that includes:

• The State should invest at least $500 million in public jobs creation, including constructing affordable housing. The state should enact policies that target government subsidized job openings to low-income households. For example, .corporate subsidies. and public contracts should be tied to the hiring of public assistance participants and other low-income New Yorkers to fill entry-level positions.
• The state should routinely conduct statewide and regional job vacancy surveys to assess to more accurately project job growth and labor market trends in New York.
• The state should ensure that corporate subsidies and tax credits result in the creation of jobs in New York State, promote the hiring of New York State residents and ensure that the jobs created are distributed throughout the state. S8276 (corporate accountability for tax expenditures). Include reform on the Investment Tax Credit and Empire Zones.
• Enact S. 3351/A.2859 to give farmworkers basic worker rights and protections